Updates

Blood Clotting Disorders

09/06/2023 Conditions

min. read

Topics

Blood clotting disorders are conditions that cause excessive clotting, limiting or blocking normal blood flow. If you have a blood clotting disorder, your blood may clot too easily or the clots may not dissolve normally and can break off and travel to other parts of the body.

During pregnancy, blood clotting disorders can pose serious risks to the mother and baby.

Understanding Your Risks

Blood clots during pregnancy are a leading cause of maternal death in the United States.

Pregnancy itself increases the risk of developing blood clots.

Your risk of developing blood clots during pregnancy is further increased by:

The Dangers of Blood Clots

Blood clots can be stationary and block blood flow (known as a thrombosis) or they can break loose and travel through the bloodstream to other parts of the body (known as an embolism).

In pregnant women, blood clots most often develop in the deep veins of the legs or pelvis, a dangerous condition known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). If part of the clot breaks free, it can travel to the lungs, a life-threatening condition known as pulmonary embolism.

Much less commonly, blood clots can also travel through your bloodstream to other major organs, including the brain, causing a stroke, or the heart, causing a heart attack.

Blood clots are typically diagnosed through imaging tests, including ultrasound, CT scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Treatment of Blood Clots during Pregnancy

Treatment depends on the woman’s condition, her history of blood clots and her pregnancy. In general, treatment may include:

  • Specialized obstetric care
  • Blood thinners that are considered safe during pregnancy
  • Close monitoring for early detection and treatment of blood clots
  • A multidisciplinary health care team that may include a hematologist (a specialist in treating blood disorders), an anesthesiologist experienced in pregnancies with clotting disorders, and a specialist in critical care medicine, if needed
  • A carefully planned delivery
  • Testing for inherited clotting disorders, if indicated
  • Delivery at a state-of-the-art facility equipped to respond to emergencies during and after childbirth

Benefits of Specialized Care

Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women offers specialized care to help women with clotting disorders achieve the safest, healthiest pregnancy possible.

Benefits include:

  • Preconception counseling to assess and reduce maternal and fetal risks prior to pregnancy
  • Prenatal consultation, evaluation and treatment by a maternal-fetal medicine specialist trained and experienced in the management of these high-risk pregnancies
  • Advanced imaging for early detection and treatment of complications
  • Delivery at the Pavilion for Women’s leading-edge facility, equipped to respond to life-threatening complications and emergencies, including 24/7 access to blood products and transfusion services
  • Seamless access to Texas Children’s Hospital and specialists for babies who need extra care and monitoring, including the Texas Children’s Fetal Center®, Texas Children’s Newborn Center®, and level IV neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)
  • Expert genetic counseling and the latest testing technologies, through the Prenatal Genetics Clinic at Baylor College of Medicine, the largest of its kind in the United States
  • A multidisciplinary, collaborative team of specialists experienced in addressing the needs of mothers and babies in pregnancies with clotting disorders
  • Close collaboration with your existing health care providers